Who pays for my rental vehicle after a car accident?

Today we are going to answer a question from a gentleman named Yang Chen in Wilmington, Delaware. He says, I was in a car accident and I need a rental vehicle, because my car is being repaired. Who is supposed to be paying for the rental vehicle?

The answer is, there are three different ways that a rental vehicle can get paid, not including you coming out of pocket to pay for it. Number one is, your insurance company could pay for your rental vehicle. If you were in an accident, I think what you want to do is, pull out your declarations page for your automobile insurance policy and see what you have in the way of rental coverage. In fact, if you are not in an automobile, and you are watching this video, now might be a good time to pull out your declarations page on your auto insurance and see what you have in the way of rental coverage. Now is the time, before you get in an accident, to figure this out.

Rental coverage is very very cheap; it is very inexpensive. It is something that many people really need when they are in a pinch and they have had an accident. Mr. Chen, the answer is, number one, your auto insurance ought to pay for your rental coverage if you bought that type of coverage on your automobile insurance policy.

The second way your rental coverage can get paid is, if the at-fault driver’s insurance company pays it as the bills are incurred. Sometimes when you are in an accident and the accident is someone else’s fault, that someone else will have insurance. Their insurance company may pick up the tab for the rental coverage while you are incurring those bills. They are not required to do that, they are not your insurance company, but sometimes they will do it as a courtesy. If they can get you into a rental vehicle, and get your vehicle fixed, they can save money that way. So the second route to getting your rental vehicle paid for is to look at the at fault driver’s insurance coverage and ask them nicely if they will pay for your rental vehicle.

The third way to get it paid is, if no insurance company will voluntarily pay for it, you get the rental. You put it on a credit card and when it comes time to settle your personal injury claim against the at fault driver, we deal with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. We include the charges for the rental vehicle, because the at-fault driver is responsible not only for personal injuries, but also for all damages that flow from their carelessness or recklessness from the accident.

So, if you have a situation where someone else caused your accident and you need to get a rental vehicle as a result of the accident, that individuals insurance company should have to pay for your rental coverage. That is something we can include with your personal injury settlement when it comes time to make a claim for your personal injuries. I hope that answers your question. Hopefully you will be able to get the rental coverage you need, get your car repaired, and get back in action ASAP.

I’m Attorney Ben Schwartz. If you have a question you would like me to answer, send me an email below. Hope you found this video helpful and informative.